Mbox PC User out there? Thoughts.....

[SupaFli]

Interested in talking with folks experiences using the Mbox PC version.

I need to have a travel worthy USB set-up. I've used Pro Tools LE (on the MAC) with good results, so I figure it would be nice to stick with that.

So, please tell me about any troubles, issues, value, etc.

thanks in advance

 

[FungusHumungous]

Hey
I'm a high school student starting up a mini-studio with an Mbox and some other stuff.

One dilemma I've found- I want to record several tracks simultaniously with a mixer and send them to Pro Tools via my Mbox, but have recently found that there is not much I can do to get around the fact that there are only 2 ins on the Mbox. It made sense to me that I could hook up a mixer, record 6 tracks at a time, send them through 1 in on the Mbox and have ProTools recognize it as 6 tracks and mix it though there.
Any suggestion?
Would it be possible to mix the 6 tracks simultaneously on the mixer and then send them to ProTools?(maybe not because I would have to send the tracks to my hard drive via ProTools before mixing)

What to do...?!
Glenn

 

[unharmed]

I use an MBox PC setup at home to record simple stuff (guitar, one or two vocals, etc) and I really like it. I have had zero problems with it.
I am still learing how to use ProTools effectively but if you are already familiar with it then you should be fine.
The two inputs is no real limitation for the type of stuff I am doing and if you are putting together a mobile solution then I think it would be an excellent option.
What type of specs are you envisaging for the system you will be running it on?

 

[unharmed]

Hey
I'm a high school student starting up a mini-studio with an Mbox and some other stuff.

One dilemma I've found- I want to record several tracks simultaniously with a mixer and send them to Pro Tools via my Mbox, but have recently found that there is not much I can do to get around the fact that there are only 2 ins on the Mbox.

No. There is not much you can do to get around this.

It made sense to me that I could hook up a mixer, record 6 tracks at a time, send them through 1 in on the Mbox and have ProTools recognize it as 6 tracks and mix it though there.

No, that won't work as you intend.

Any suggestion? Would it be possible to mix the 6 tracks simultaneously on the mixer and then send them to ProTools?(maybe not because I would have to send the tracks to my hard drive via ProTools before mixing)

What to do...?!
Glenn

You can certainly mix 6 tracks from your outboard mixer into one track in ProTools. There is a technical term for this process but I can't currently recall it.
There is no method that I am aware of that will let you pass your 6 tracks through one input on the MBox and split them back out in ProTools. There are many people far smarter than me around these parts though who will hopefully chime in shortly

 

[GreyBeard]

There is no method that I am aware of that will let you pass your 6 tracks through one input on the MBox and split them back out in ProTools. There are many people far smarter than me around these parts though who will hopefully chime in shortly

I don't think I'm any smarter but if the MBox works the way I think it does it only has 2 AD converters. These things turn the analog signal from the mic/guitar/kb into a stream of numbers

(101010101010101010101010)
(111000101010001010010101)
(101001000100101110100101)

Something like this. You need an AD converter for each input and in turn the computer records a digital track from each AD converter. You also need a pr DA converter to send your mixed down tracks back to your analog mixer or poweramp. So to do what you want, you need something with 6 AD converters (they usually come is sets of 8 for use with ADAT) There are boxes for the computer that give you more simutanious recording capabilities but they are expensive. Hope this helps..................

 

[Rodan]

I've been wondering about the Mbox myself, since I've slowly moved from 4-track, to an old version of Sonar and a cheap USB-interface which gave me too much trouble due to latency problems. I realize my setup was rudimentary, but I wans trying to avoid spending too much money since I'm only a weekend recorder and don't need too many tracks.

The Mbox seems like a great solution to my problem due to the quality of the preamps (have read the reviews), ease of use, and the fact that it comes bundled with ProTools and Reason Adapated (I also use reason and have been trying to figure out the best cost-effective way of creating songs using live instruments and Reason at the same time). But I need it to be a pc.

Is it such a simple plug-and-play unit? (once you learn the basics of ProTools?

 

[Droog]

Comping tracks should not be that confusing. When you mix multiple signals together and record them to a single track, well thats it, no more multi track. You see? Mono vs. Multi. You can't pull the snare track or the Bass track off your Poison tape can you? No. If you take 10 tracks and mix them down to 2 so you can go into your Mbox then you have a 2 track mix and its gonna stay that way. Digital recording and editing is cool, but its not magic.

The Mbox is pretty turn key, I am not terribly impressed with the mic pre's but thats one way to keep the cost down. Another thing to remember is that there is not MIDI I/O nor is there a designated monitor out, only a Headphone jack.

I think the hardest thing for people is learning Pro Tools, especially is you have no experiance with computer based recording. The software has the largest learning curve.

 

[SupaFli]

Thanks for the feedback up there....

I'll be using the Mbox on multiple machines (P3s and P4s, Laptops and Desktops....). Opps, did I just violate the license policy? I need it to travel...thus the USB interface. But, still would like to use on the "mothership" desktop at home.

Was using a Br1180, but would like to go with a pc system.... I'm much better with a mouse than dial/knobs.